This in itself is not noteworthy. Someone is always dying. Especially where the Sith are involved. So no, that was not it.

But the who.. and the how. Ahhh, now, there was something worth paying attention to, especially if you planned on living. The Sith may be many things, but after years of being annoyed by the Jedi, you learn a trick or two. But this latest attack wasn't done by the Jedi. No, this smacked of something much more deadly. Someone, or something -

More efficient.

Yes. That is more the correct term. And at first, it was ignored, for it attacked those that were weak. Those Adepts and Disciples, who had not yet earned themselves either a Master nor notice. And what did it matter? Is it not our way to weed out the weak? They were not missed, assumed to have simply fallen to someone more powerful.

But then, others began to fall. Others more powerful and strong. Rumor even has it that the Jedi have begun to notice it's influence as well. Darkness fell within the Force.

Then came a feeling from within the darkness.

A feeling, that something was hunting the Hunters...

******************

Greetings players.

I am going to launch into something a bit different for me, so hopefully, this will be enjoyable for all. This will be a game that is geared Mostly towards the Sith, but there are a few spots open for 'others'.

Here is some general information for the game.
--

General Timeline Info:

It was 137 ABY, Darth Krayt is a corpse lying in a stasis chamber. His murderer, Darth Wyyrlok, who was his trusted lieutenant, has tried to concealing the death behind lies and deception: the Sith did in fact believe that their Lord had been wounded and was in serious condition, and not capable of ruling. The Council of Moff distrusted these reasons and began to wonder about the actual physical conditions of the Dark Lord, forcing Wyyrlok to commit an act unusual for a Sith: he allied himself to the High Moff Morlish Veed, which offered the post of regent, first in their possession. Veed, who had always aspired to command, he accepted and settled on the throne of the Galactic Empire.

The remains of the Alliance, meanwhile, continued to face the enemy in sporadic guerrilla warfare, gaining a few victories but they were unable to gain the upper hand: the internal divisions and lack of resources prevented any acts of destabilization of the New Empire.

After Veed's death however, the vacant throne was disputed between the Sith and the Moff's, leading to tensions and civil wars in the individual planets: It was also a chance for the last free people of the Galaxy, to unite under the banner of a new Rebel Alliance. They were able to take full advantage of this: From the rim they began to expand towards the center of the Galaxy. The Empire under Darth Kimerus, failed to counter the incessant attacks of the Rebels, who had a strong alliance with the Mon Calamari. They used the alliance to build many massive warships, funded by the businessmen of Bespin and the nobles of Naboo.

The new alliance was able, with the help of the Jedi Order, to return to Corellia, which was proclaimed in 142 ABY the founding of the Galactic Republic III. It was organized similarly to the previous Galactic Alliance. They began attacking the weakened Imperial fleets, engaging in various systems in short and victorious battles, which led them to soon become the only alternative to the Empire. A glimmer of hope for all those planets, which under the instability of the tyrant government, now craved security and freedom.

The Republic, however, began to pay the price for its reliance on nobles and wealthy merchants: a few years after its creation, its institutions were beset with corruption and bureaucracy, and its rulers from the greed and folly: it was this time of temporary crisis that a young Lieutenant from the Imperial army, Strongold Alfred, took advantage. Starting with a swift recapture of the lost planets, allowed him a rapid ascent, and after the death of the Emperor Kim

A storm has blown in from the northern shores, it's cold rain and wind scattering most to seek the warm confines of their homes and structures. This is a good thing perhaps, for it keeps eyes that would otherwise be looking towards them, busy elsewhere. Something that is otherwise, better not to be seen by most. As others warmed themselves and tried to stay dry, they were unaware of the flickering shadows and the meetings of others. They stayed, unknowing of what could have been.

Then came the arrival of the First.

One who will soon be joined by others. Dark shadows, the illusive flicker to be seen only briefly, before disappearing beneath an undiscerning building. A storage facility, that belonged to a one who served. A perfect place for shadows to join together.

The First whipped his cloak back, looking around the confines. Dark hair covers even darker skin, and armor can be seen underneath. The symbol marking him as a coveted position, working for one of the Council can be seen. Lighting unseen, shows him the way to the chambers. He prepares the chamber for the others who will follow. They come because had been ordered to. A Darkness, not of their doing had been noticed. At first it was tempting. A taste of something tangible. But then came the deaths. And with it, a sense that something else was becoming more powerful.

Perhaps, even more aware.

The Council, wanting to find out what this darkness was, and lay claim to it, sent out probes. Then Hunters. And the Hunters were never seen again. The annoying Jedi, surely must have felt the tremors as well, for they sent a few Jedi to investigate. And the Council watched, they too failed. But something changed, and Council lost sight of this new Darkness.

But such changes rarely go unnoticed for long. And neither did this. And so they were called. It had been many years that the Council had called for a gathering. Perhaps Zen_Shiva or perhaps even the one called Taral would remember the last time, the Council had called for such a meeting, so it was nothing to be taken lightly.

So, it is within the darkened halls, that you wait to see what detail the summons brings...

Tag: Sinrebirth, s65Horsey, Shadowmancer
...

The Other

The Other is on a world, who name does not really matter to him. Whether it is day or not, also do not matter, for he sees his world in varying shades of the Force. But this night, there is a darkness more pronounced than any he had felt is a very long time. It is something he has never felt before, in all his years, illusive, and dangerous. It dances at the edge of his awareness, almost as if it is taunting him, but he realizes that he is not the target.

At least, not yet it seems.

No this if different. He felt it, when he felt a group of Jedi who were nearby, return to the Force. On another planet, he had been tracking a bounty hunter, who was a Force Sensitive, and was using his skills to track down his prey. At first, he thought he was looking for him, but his target had been some young Twi'lek, who thought he would stir up some local trouble. The hunter had gone into the dessert, when again, the Other felt a presence.

It was not until the next morning, that he would hear the stories. How they had found a cave, and the hunter had been found slain. His target, had been tied up, but unharmed. But the Twi'lek could not tell anyone what had happened, for his mind was gone. And from what the Other had heard, the face of the hunter had been most horrible to witness, so twisted and contorted. But what the Other felt, was a sensation like nothing he had ever noticed before. Death had always been a familiar companion, and its effects and notice were well known. But this was not. Whatever had befallen the hunter, was quick as it was brutal. It moved with stealth and a deadly grace, and was gone as fast as it came.

Her cloaked transport had come to the planet under the cover of night, and was made harder to spot due to inclement weather. The trip itself had been uneventful, and Zen-Shiva silently contemplated the raging storm outside her viewport as her transport came for a landing upon an unmarked landing platform.

Gracefully she rose from her seat, black robes flowing as she strode with silent steps. With a casual gesture, Zen-Shiva raised her hood to cover her features; her cropped white hair and ice blue eyes would be hidden in shadow, leaving the lower half of her face still somewhat visible. Her fair skin and her rosy lips was all that anyone needed to see. Her black robes were more than recognizable to those who could discern their significance.

A small smiled played on her face then. The primal dynamic was always at play. This planet, Bandomeer, was a clear example of that, which brought to mind the reason for this gathering: Something or someone was playing games with the Council. A mistake they would live to regret-but first, the Council needed to know more about this possible threat.

Thoughts of many possibilities came to mind as she took a step to place herself before the still closed hatch. A brief taste of the inevitable hunt welled inside her, taunting her, exciting her. She welcomed the feeling, licking her lips in anticipation.

But it was far too early to get ahead of herself.

As it was, Zen did not how many members would be attending the meeting, and had only managed to hear a single named between whispers before she left.

Taral.

Other than that, she knew next to nothing about this being. Unfortunatelly, there'd been no time to do any research whatsoever, so she was coming to the meeting blind. Well, that was not completely true.

At that moment, the transport's hatch opened and wind entered the cabin, greeting her with ambient wetness. Zen-Shiva welcomed the sobering sensation, for she didn't mind the rain. It meant her no harm and she had been able to use it to her advantage on many an occasion, just as she planned to do now.

From under her hood, Zen regarded her surroundings and saw where she needed to go. It was just as the instructions had directed. As usual, she kept in mind the possibility of this being another test to cull the weak. As always, she would be alert and careful. One mistake, that's usually all it took. Arrogance and overconfidence were more often the catalyst to defeat than lack of skill. However, given her present mood, any fool crossing her path this night would learn just how foolish and fatal a mistake that would be.

A puff of warm breath formed before her robed visage, and in an instant, she moved with grace and speed that could hardly be followed by the naked eye. A dissipating fluttering sound was all that was left in the wake of her movement, as Zen took to the shadows and a slightly different path to her destination.

Shadows and rain were her tools to cover her tracks, for soon, she would be were her masters needed her, and the mystery to uncover whatever hunted the Sith could begin.

The hyperlanes were strewn with Imperial Interdictors, Yuuzhan Vong gravitic weapons and Alliance mines, but a Sith was not concerned by such things. Taral flew his personal Predator-class Starfighter from the Roon system with an amount of trepidation mixed with excitement. His exile was coming to an end. The war was modulating, and the few friends the tall Chagrian had in the Order informed him that something had drew the ire of the Council, and the First, thus the Sith Conclave, the first since the death of Veed and the fall of his grandfather, Darth Wyyrlok III, from grace - as Taral put it.

Taral's starfighter burst from hyperspace above the planet Bandomeer, an Imperial world since it's recapture during the second year of the Sith-Imperial War. The Sith AgCorps - experimenters, geneticists and shapers all - had transformed the world into natural spectacle, but one which was that was withheld from the galaxy at large, but not as obviously. The defence grids that had isolated other Sith holy worlds were not evident here, and the secrecy was not in the obviousness of its defences, but in the fact that it was a relatively unimportant world in the grand vast scheme of things; situated on the Hydian Way, the junction between the Braxant Run and the main hyperlanes; a world of little industry beyond the standard defences it had.

Guiding his basically stock fighter down to the planet, Taral landed and began to pick at the names that would be in attendance. Perhaps aged Darth Kimerus? Or Darth Narakus himself? The lightly tattooed Sith Lord clutched his lightsabers close as he moved from the landing strip, absently activating the immense anti-theft weapons on the Predator, his only modification to the craft. Well, not his modification, as he was technically illiterate, of course. He strode down the streets of a completely nondescript Bandomeeri city, and suddenly realised the rendezvous was a storehouse...

The lanky seventeen year old stepped off the transport. His tattered clothes a reminder to himself that he came from nothing and that he had nothing to lose. His possessions fit into the small bag attached to his back. A few months ago Ariat was on the streets of Coruscant stealing for the gang boss and rounding up other orphaned children found on the streets. That fateful day that Ariat had chosen to steal from the man in the black cloak would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He was desperate. The boss required that all boys come back with something from the day and Ariat had nothing. It wasn't that he was unable to steal, in fact, he was quite good at it. He seemed to have an advantage of never being caught. The other boys were envious and had chained him up earlier in the day so that Ariat would return with nothing and get beaten. It had been a long time since Ariat had been beaten by the boss' enforcer.

Ariat struggled all day to free himself and finally, a half hour before he was due to report back he managed to slip out of the restraints. He didn't know how he'd done it, but one minute they were tight and the next loose.

His target was before him. Ariat didn't have a chance to be picky today, he just needed to get some creds. He was so angry. Impossibly angry. The target before him never had a chance. Ariat seemed to walk within the shadows that day. He slipped in and out and disappeared back to the boss.

He never made it back to the boss. For though he had managed to steal the creds, the man he was stealing from was not without resource. He tracked the boy to the gang headquarters and accosted him before Ariat entered the building. One minute he was along, plotting his revenge on the boys as he raced back to the boss and the next he was tied up and on a ship.

Now here he was. After a few months of intensive training with a Sith Master who refused to reveal his name to the boy. Ariat had impressed him with his ability to steal from the Sith without his knowledge. If the Sith hadn't been a good tracker Ariat would have escaped with the creds. Once the Sith had gotten near the boy he had sensed the force within him and decided to have his own apprentice. That was until the call for all to report here to Bandomeer.

Ariat struggled to remember what his master had told him. Follow the dark side. This was a test to find out if Ariat had it in him to continue his training. He wandered the streets of the city his clothes thoroughly getting soaked in the storm before finally settling on a warehouse. This was it. Ariat slipped into the shadows and changed into his only other possession, a black body suit and black robes. He hung a lightsaber on his belt and stepped into the warehouse.

Zen-Shiva dashed across open spaces and lingered in the shadows. She kept mostly to the rooftops whenever possible, but took the low road whenever there was a lack of cover.

As she drew nearer the meeting place, she became aware of another presence. There was no mistaking that this was another Sith. No other being in the galaxy felt quite the same way in the darkside of the Force. As for the Sith's identity, that was another matter altogether. Answers to such questions came in due time.

Needless to say, Zen was more than aware that if she could feel the Sith's presence, then he or she could possibly sense hers as well, for that was one way of announcing one-self whenever it suited their purpose.

To that end, Zen-Shiva jumped down and gracefully landed a few meters next to the figure she now spied with her eyes. Not in-front, and certainly not behind. Once she rose to a standing position, she simply nodded respectfully in greeting, her head still covered by her hood.

As expected, nothing was said at first, for no idle words were needed here.

Anyone who would be standing here, did so by design, that much was understood.

Then before she could see, she perceived another presence emerge from the shadows. This one was a male youth, garbed in a black body suit and robes that were not unlike her own.

To him she also nodded in welcome.

They all ignored the rain, as they stood there in unison, and seemed to patiently wait for some signal, either seen or unseen. It wouldn't matter which.

Turning her head slightly now, Zen-Shiva regarded their place of gathering. A storehouse of some sort. Following her habits, Zen probed the structure with her senses, in order to glean any bit of information before proceeding forth.

The quiet chatter of the Inn's common room was symphony of white noise to his own ears. He did not need the Force to hear the topic of conversation from those around him, the abduction of the Twi'lek and the bizarre murder of the bounty hunter that had hunted the Twi'lek was on many minds. Through the Force he could sense the moods of the people around him. Many were curious, others were wary. The locals had good reason to be cautious.

Even they, without the Force, could sense the evil committed in the act found in the cave.

A bowl of soup was placed before him on the table and the servo-droid left him alone to eat in peace and the blind man continued to listen even as he slowly ate his meal with the same ease as a man who could still see. As he ate he came to the decision to investigate the scene in the morning.

The darkness he had felt from before appeared to be the same darkness that had assaulted the Twi'lek and murdered the hunter. He also suspected it was also the same thing responsible for the few Jedi he had felt returning to the Force. He had to know what it was.

So once his meal was finished and he dropped a few credits on the table, he reached over for the trail stick and hauled himself to his feet, using the stick to further cement that he was indeed a helpless, blind, old man.

Kaicus Cor indeed was blind and old, but he was not helpless. Far from it, in fact. But he was not going to let the locals know that and despite the light armor he wore over his worn Jedi robes, he appeared to be nothing more than a broken old warrior who had once seen better days.

Cor made his way over to the table that had spoken the most about the incident in the cave and softly cleared his throat before speaking in a gruff, accented voice. "Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen, lady, but I could not help but overhear your conversation and am most curious to learn more of what had and where it happened if you could give but a few minutes of your time to an old, blind man?"

Rain dribbling down his horns and back, the tall Chagrian strode along the streets, circling the storehouse. It was in the centre of what appeared to be a busy district of the town, dotted with these various and seemingly abandoned shops and warehouses. A few had been taken over by charities, shopfronts displaying various religious iconographies and causes. A few Taral recognised as fronts for the various Sith causes, but one or two he knew as holdovers from the Imperial Mission. The rest were nondescript shops, filled by nondescript pedestrians, many with various of those energy-webs that screened their heads of the rain, occasionally rubbing against another persons in a squeal that was not too indistinct to the sound of nails being dragged down chalkboards. Taral, accustomed to the screams of his victims, found the noise quite detestable, and decided to cut short his wanderings and take an alleyway forward.

His senses were not particularly acute, but his control over his features and reactions, schooled by years in the Senate as a representative - before his failure - allowed him to hold his wits about him as an individual leapt down beside him, choosing a differing manner of subterfuge. Taral turned slightly, not recognising the Sith - there were far too many of them, and he doubted that even his rogue actions had gleaned the attention of many of the Sith in the Order to warrant identification - but appreciating that the Sith did not approach from the front or the rear. A smart one.

A third Sith - a boy, really - walked with purpose into the warehouse, a nod from the female, and Taral also nodded to the teen, striding in to warehouse to join the conclave. The beginning was here.

Dry washing his hands, Leachim felt the shuttle slow somewhat before entering the atmosphere of Naboo. There were always killings on one end of the known galaxy, or the other. But what got the special attention of the order was the mass killings that had occurred recently and were still going on undeterred. While normal investigations on such crimes were a priority, the pattern of the mass murders did not fit, and no one could find the culprit or culprits. What Leachim could not comprehend was who the murderer was. The jedi tilted his head and mused that in his not too distant younger years he battled against sith lords before expectantly, not often successfully. The raw hate and familiar mental scent of the dark side was not exactly foreign to him. His last opponent, and his toughest, felt like a perfectly honed focus of hate and determination, of which was still fresh in his mind to this very moment. That was how powerful the dark side user he fought long ago was, and that man's mind cut like the sharpest to blade Leachim. He never defeated that particular sith lord.

What got Leachim thinking of his past enemy was the mysterious darkness that was ripping its way across the known territories. This was his reason for his visit to Naboo, then later a meeting with his fellow colleague Kaicus to discuss each others intel. There were two murders in Naboo, three in Coruscant. All jedi. There were also bodies of sith lords and what appeared to be dark sided apprentices littered through out some of the worlds in the mid rims he found upon investigation. The dark council usually picked up it's messes, even if they did not prevent the killing of their own. But to have this many bodies and no one to collect the evidence meant that whatever this "thing" was, it cared not about hiding its own path of slaughter. As the shuttle landed on one of many private senatorial landing platforms, He stepped out slowly to smell dawn peeking out in the sky. Senator Galas was waiting for him with a sleepy look on his face. His clothes were slightly rumpled which simply told Leachim the other man just woke up upon hearing of Leachim's arrival. He spoke with a thick accent.

"Master Jedi, it is good to see you here. The bodies are this way....But I warn you, the sight is pretty gruesome."

"I'll just have to stomach it senator. Thank you for notifying the order about this. But tell me. When did these murders occur?"

"Last night I'm afraid. I....The look look of terror on their faces. I cannot erase them from my mind....WHO did this?"

The jedi shook his head slightly. Grim looks showed on both men as they walked in to the scene of murder. It was not too far from the entrance to the landing pad outside, and it looked as though the jedi were trying to escape. Leachim had seen death on many faces before, and like most jedi occasionally felt it in certain situations. The bodies were twisted as if thrown around in a vicious manner. They were running for their lives when whatever caught up to them scared the jedi so badly they loosened their bladders and shat themselves before being thrown around like rag dolls. Nearly every bone in their body was either broken or shattered slightly.

Leachim sighed. "If you could have someone wrap these bodies up for later, I would appreciate it."

It had been years since he had set foot in a Sith stronghold - or at least, a Sith stronghold currently in use. He had spent the last few years travelling the galaxy with minimal contact with the Order, eschewing the war in favour of visiting and studying ancient sites of power. It was fascinating, in an academic sort of way, to see how those crumbling ruins compared to this facility: where the ancient Sith had prized grandeur and intricate stonework, their modern successors preferred nondescript, shadowed, hidden.

Then again, he hadn't been studying unlovely storage facilities on miserable wet planets like Bandomeer. It was conceivable that the ancient Sith had used similar locations as well for the same purposes.

The Sith Lord stepped inside the warehouse. He was not the first one here: already present were a Chagrian male, a humanoid female, and a lanky human teenager. An interesting mix, Krasus thought, lowering his hood to reveal a pale human face with cold blue eyes only faintly rimmed with yellow, framed by short black hair. He inclined his head in a nod to them all.

A Gladius-class light freighter may not possess heavy defensive systems, nor was it the most powerful offensive ship in the galaxy, but what it lacked in military might it more than made up for in other areas. First and foremost it was faster than almost any ship around, and speed was critical when hunting prey. Second, the Gladuis-class had enough room to transport those who needed to be brought back to the pilot's masters. Last but not least, it was not a ship that would stand out of the crowd.

This ship served it's pilot well, it served the One Sith well. As did the pilot, Ssarmn, a Trandoshan Hunter with a notable reputation of efficiency and reliability. As of late the importance of his assignments had increased, when the One Sith needed a job done they looked to him....and Ssarmn was happy to answer the call.

In fact that call was the reason he was now on Bandomeer, though he did not yet know what for he could safely assume that someone needed to be found...or killed. Either would serve to increase his tally with the Scorekeeper.

Even as the landing platform began to open Ssarmn was putting on his most prized possession, a cape lovingly crafted by his own hands from the pelt of a long ago victim, a Wookie Silverback. Functional in that it kept him warm and dry, fashionable in the way it displayed his prowess...at least fashionable on Trandosha.

As his bare feet padded down the metal ramp he could already feel the familiar presence of others, the Dark Side was present nearby. Even if Ssarmn did not have the exact coordinates for the meeting he would have known quickly enough where to go. So clear was the dark calling that it would not have taken a Hunter to find them, each presence was unique...each recognizable as an individual.

His freighter having landed only a few blocks away Ssarmn arrived at a storage house soon enough, odd place for the One Sith to gather, but Ssarmn knew that there must be a reason for the location choice and that it would suit their needs well. The Hunter did not hesitate as he approached, he entered confidently yet remained focused on the Force...after all, being in the presence of fellow Sith did not guarantee safety.

One by one, they began to gather. Zen-Shiva being one of the first. Fair skined, and graceful, she walked with purposeful steps. She knew that Taral would be here as well, but knew little else of the meeting. But its location was not hard to fantom, and soon others appeared from within the darkness. Taral was next. It was hard not to miss the Chagrian, his blue skin horns and lethorns, marking him. Next, he was followed by a lanky youth that so far, no name came to rise. But the fact that he was here, was of some merit enough. Ariat clothing, tattered and dark, hung off his frame, but it rather seemed to suit him.

There were nods, as they acknowledged each other. They all had ignored the rain, as they stood there in unison, and seemed to patiently wait in the dark confines of the building.

And in front of them, sat the unmoving figure. The First.

The First was aware of the arrival of them all. With a slight smirk, he looked up, to take notice of another area. Footfall.

Krasus exited the darkness next, to join the others in attendance. An interesting mix, Krasus thought, lowering his hood to reveal a pale human face with cold blue eyes only faintly rimmed with yellow, framed by short black hair. He inclined his head in a nod to them all.

The First looked up. A most curious sight indeed. A Trandoshan entered the warehouse next, looking ever so much the hunter, as he wore a cape made from what looked like a Wookiee skin. Ssarma entered confidently, while remaining focused as he felt the eyes of the other Sith notice him.

THe First gave a deep nod to the assembled Sith as he slowly stood, his robes flaring out around him. The dim light showing just a hint of the armor he wore. He looked at the assembled group slowly, as if he was looking for something, his eyes narrowing slightly as he paused long enough to look into each face. With another satisfied nod, he took a step down.

"You are here.." he began without any preamble, "Because the Darkness demands it." He steps down to stand in front of the chair. "Because there is something that is attempting to poison the very strength of the Darkness, and in doing so, affects us as well." He slowly turned, and took a seat back in the chair, his hands positioned in front of him. "This new thing, this Darkness, is powerful. Either we must take control or it, or we must destroy it, for it has tasted blood, of both the Cursed Jedi, and of our brethren as well, and that can not go unchallenged."

The First was silent for a moment, scanning the group before he continued. "We sent out hunters to discover this new Darkness, but none of them ever returned. But it grew elusive after the probes were sent out, for it fell away from our senses. Tempting us. But after the last encounter, it's tactics have changed. But, we believe we have a way of finding out our quarry, and in such, controlling it."

A flicker of his hand, and a small device appeared. "What you will hear now, few others have. One of our order was doing unsanctioned work, digging within the old bones of our past. He was trying to lay claim to things he was unable to comprehend..."

A holo appeared. It was a face, that if any knew some higher in rank, it would be known to them. (Darth) Lord Falon, a powerful Sith lord, who had many servants and warriors in his arsenal. It was difficult not to take note of his death, because those who looked upon his face, saw the face of a powerful Sith Lord, etched in absolute terror and fear.

And for those who knew the man, knew that to be impossible.

The holo was turned off.

"It began with him. And it has been working its way closer. At first, it only afflicted the new members. Those alone, out on missions of their own. But it is growing bold. A few Jedi were found, also touched, so we believe that whoever is doing it, is most interested in Force Users. And this concerns us. It was thought that perhaps some unknown bounty hunters, or some group trying to make a mark w

Krasus was still for a long moment following the First's briefing, his mind racing.

It seemed inconceivable that someone - something - could kill Lord Darth Falon in a manner that would leave his face etched with terror. Death was not a stranger to any Sith - indeed, anyone who rose above Lord had undoubtedly weathered many life-threatening incidents - but more to the point, Sith Lords of Falon's stature did not fear. Anything that could scare such a man was not to be trifled with.

More pertinent to Krasus personally, however, was the nature of Falon's doings before his death.

Over the last few years, Krasus had spent his time doing precisely that: scouring the galaxy for relics of Sith past, studying them, trying to understand and learn from them. His work had not been unsanctioned, precisely, but neither had he reported in to anyone - or, indeed, sought anyone's permission before doing so. He had simply informed his (former, by then) Master of his plans, then gone and done it, and the Order had turned a blind eye.

What if he, too, had unknowingly awoken ... something?

At least now he knew why he had been summarily recalled; if nothing else, it was because he had been a lone Sith, and lone Sith were now at risk. That, he reflected, was an ironic turn of events. It was not so long ago that the Sith had ascribed to the Rule of Two ...

Regardless, they now had a mission. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and, without checking to see if his new companions would follow, strode towards the open repulsorlift. Unless they were brave or stupid enough to risk the First's wrath, they would be right behind him. Once they were all inside, he pressed the button for the indicated level.

Pausing in his examination of the shop's wares, Seth pinched the wide brim of his hat with his thumb and index finger in order to tip it up so that, upon glancing to his left, he would have an unobstructed view of the window. Just in time too, as he just saw the last of individuals that were decked out in Naboo security uniforms march past.

The murders no doubt, the red head thought to himself. Green eyes staring at the spot where the security officers had just passed, they slowly moved upwards so that Seth could see the silhouette of one of the private landing platforms. He's probably here for the same thing.

Despite how he didn't look it, Seth was indeed in touch with the Force that offered him this insight and more. While his lower half was clad in a simple attire of boots and a belt looped around some brown pants, the upper half of Seth's 5'8" form was clothed in a long-sleeved red tunic, black vest, and a gray jacket over all of that while a brown, wide-brimmed hat rested comfortably upon the top of his head. The clothing, as well as the pair of blaster pistols resting in their holsters, made the human look more like a smuggler or even a bounty hunter instead of some kind of Force user.

"Can't escape what you're born with," he murmured to himself, one hand coming up to stroke at his chin that was possessed with three weeks of beard growth. He made a mental note that he was going to have to set some amount of time in the near future for a decent shave. The latest investigations and subsequent flying around the galaxy had been keeping him busy.

And why, exactly, was he donating such time to all this? This was not the first time he had asked himself this question - generally when he was off on another adventure or errand that involved helping some poor soul - and this certainly wouldn't be the last. But it kept nagging at him nonetheless. After all, it was his own experience with the bad side of the galaxy that made him break away from the Order; citing the belief of peace and benevolent ruling of such a crazed galaxy was a lost cause, especially in these war-torn years. That bit of corruption that nearly doomed the Galactic Alliance sure proved his point. Couldn't even stay united in order to take down an Empire that was the latest cause of galactic misery.

Eh, I'm a nice guy at heart, he thought and scowled at himself. Perhaps too nice.

The irony that came with his latest investigations leading him to possibly doing exactly what a Jedi would do wasn't lost to him. Chasing disturbances in the Force, hunting down some darkness that plagued the innocent citizens of the galaxy. This included Jedi too.

But what he felt on Naboo was different compared to what had first started him on this chase a few days ago. For one, he had originally been chasing what he had started to suspect was the work of a single being. What he felt on Naboo clashed with that; there was more then one evil baddy on the loose and was to blame with the recent murders. Still...the victims were Jedi after all and even if it wasn't the same darkness that he was looking for, Seth figured that he should still investigate nonetheless.

"Maybe I'll even make a new friend along the way," the young man, still only twenty-two years old, remarked humorously as he tipped his hat back down before exiting the shop. He was, of course, talking about the Jedi that he sensed. Though usually hesitant at the idea of teaming up with a member of the Order - especially since Seth hadn't exactly left on the best of terms -, he couldn't deny that an extra set of hands that knew how to wield a lightsaber wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if his initial theories that quite a few bad guys were around were proven true.

Walking down the streets of Naboo, towards the private landing pad and the scene of the crime, Seth started whistling an old Corellian tune to himself.

Markings.....Concussion blasts? He then walked over to the bodies that were now laid out in front of him. Is that what these jedi were affraid of? That was silly, but that also did not immediately explain every single one of their broken bones. Leahcim looked closer at the bodies before they were wrapped up. The blasts would certainly kill them if they were in range, and produce open injuries, explaining the way their bodies were slightly twisted. There are no open injuries. Maybe the blasts itself stunned them and broke some bones, but not to this degree, as it suggested that they were knocked around a bit after the concussion blasts stunned them. The jedi must have been alive after the blast when the assailant started his/her grisly task.

This would also explain the fear and shock on their faces.

Leachim looked up in the direction of someone he sensed coming closer to the landing pad. No one he recognized, yet no one that strong enough at least for it to be a coincidence. A man who did not hide himself.....That was as much as an open greeting. So Leahcim walked outside in to the landing pad to wait for this newcomer, to see if he can glean anything else out that Leahcim might not have seen.

A Darkness is hunting Sith? The very thought of the Sith, and himself, being prey brought both amusement and fear to Ssarmn.

His entire life Ssarmn had been the hunter, and the Sith for countless centuries. Now the tables had turned, and Ssarmn had to wonder if he was wise enough to survive what was to come. Confidence is something easily taken for granted, and something not so easily redeemed when shaken.

It was obvious that whatever, or whoever, was killing Sith it must be powerful enough to not fear possible retribution. And when dealing with Sith, it was a sure bet that they would attempt to exact vengeance, or bring this Darkness under their command.

One Sith in particular, a human male, appeared to have no time to waste and without further hesitation made his way towards the lift. Ssarmn agreed. The hunt had begun, and if they meant to survive they needed to gain an advantage as soon as possible.

The large Trandoshan followed the others example and made his way to the repulsorlift.

To put it simply, things were getting more and more interesting with every passing moment. A fourth sit arrived to the gathering, this one a humanoid male, hooded at first, but within a moment he openly revealed his visage. He possessed a pale human face with cold blue eyes, framed by short black hair. Hmmm. Interesting. Zen-Shiva also perceived a certain air of confidence about this sith, not unlike the chagrian, although for some reason, it felt different.

A fifth arrival derailed her musings as her attention fell upon the newcomer: a thrandoshan hunter from the looks of him, complete with a cape crafted from wookie pelts. This one teemed with an air of danger, which of course, brought a slight smile to Zen. Pleasing as the gathering had become, the reason why they were summoned wasn't simply to?enjoy each other's company.That's when she noticed the unmoving figure sitting before them.

The First

Had he been there all along? Zen-Siva was uncertain. She'd scanned her surroundings a moment ago and she'd sense nothing else besides those present, yet there he was.

Concealing her surprise and reveling on her mounting excitement, Zen straightened and listened well. She understood the significance of this gathering, at least some of it. Something pivotal was about to take place, and inwardly, she was more than honored and somewhat amazed to be part of it. Certainly this assignment would be the path to the coveted title she sought?but, better to take things one step at a time.

The First spoke uninterrupted and revealed things that were, well?hard to believe, at first anyway.

Darth Falon?afraid?. The very thought was preposterous, and yet, the evidence spoke for itself. But, if this strange 'darkness' could kill a Sith Lord, what hope had they?

Zen, shook her head as if repulsed by that last thought.

Hope was completely irrelevant. Hope was for the Jedi.

The Council had spoken and this was the plan. They had only one option. Success. The price for failure was quite clear. It would be a terrible death. Ahh, the joy of the hunt. It was so hard to contain her excitement, but she did, only smiling briefly under the shadow of her hood.

So, they had to take control of this 'darkness' or destroy it. Sounded simple enough, which meant this mission would take all of their skills to succeed. Hmmm. That would be something in-and- of itself, seeing how the 'One Sith' was more of a political or even philosophical ideal to rally the troops, rather than a practiced mindset. This mission demanded that it be so, which was something even Zen found to be quite a challenge, given her past. Regardless, there was much planing to be done, and the First did mention supplies and intel. Good. A hunt needed to be planned carefully, especially if it was to put an end to a most undesirable thorn in the Council's side.

"May the Darkness shadow you."

Zen bowed as the First seemed to melt into the floor. A knowing smile crossed her face, but only briefly. She noted the newly revealed lift doorway, with its soft blinking red light. True to character, Zen remained unmoving and simply observed for a moment. To her mild surprise, it wasn't the chagrian that moved first, but the pale skin human male. She watched him head confidently towards the turbolift. Most intriguing.

Turning her hooded head slightly, she regarded the rest of the group and wondered who would move next. She wouldn't mind following, however, she often found that watching others proved far more?educational.

Her patience was rewarded when her eyes saw the thrandoshan follow suit. Funny that, she should have guessed that he'd be next. The small smile returned then, as Zen almost immediately took several steps and fell in line at a proper distance behind the large hunter.

Upon the appearance of the figure that stepped away from the landing pad - the Jedi, no doubt -, Seth's green eyes locked on towards him but otherwise made no other show of greeting or a wave or any other sign that would give the impression that Seth was indeed looking just for him. Instead, keeping his hands stuffed in his pockets, the young man continued his whistling, occasionally looking up to see what the weather was like, but otherwise made no other action.

It was only when he was ten feet away and closing that Seth finally stopped in front of the Jedi. It was only then that he stopped whistling and, having been looking up at the sky, his head tilted down to look the Jedi in the face...and then down some more. Placing a hand on his chin, Seth seemed to examine the Jedi, his eyes moving up and down, his head tilting left and right as if trying to view the man at every angle that he could. This only lasted for just a few seconds before Seth stopped his wandering eyes and focused them over the Jedi's shoulder, staring straight at where he sensed the scene of the murders was.

"Not a pretty sight is it?" Seth questioned, glancing back to the Jedi that currently was alive. Despite never having even taken a look at the shattered corpses of the victimized Jedi, the young man was able to guess what he would've found just by what he sensed. Death was never a pretty thing but the chaotic violence that he could sense in the air allowed him to guess that the victims had faced an awful, messy one.

"Ah well," he continued, seeming not at all disturbed by the matter; whether about the style of the murder or the fact that Jedi had been the victims. "This galaxy is full of it lately."

Breaking eye contact, Seth focused on a different task as his hands wandered over the pockets of his jacket, patting himself down before both dipped into his jacket pockets, one pulling out a pack of cigarras while the other retrieved a lighter. With just a furrow of his brow, Seth grasped one of the cigarras with the Force, using this mystical, powerful energy field that could manipulate minds, crush throats, and smash beings into walls to pull out one of the cigarras and stick it between his lips. With the lighter he lit the end.

After blowing out a breath of smoke, Seth finally looked back at the Jedi. "Ah, where are my manners?" He held out the pack to him. "Want one?"

Leachim barely managed to hold back a sneeze, and some minor amusement. The last time Leahcim lit up something like those, he looked like a coughing fool. "Hm? Oh no, no thank you. And no, conflict is never pretty at all." He glanced back at the scene and squinted slightly. "Who are you, and what brought you here? I sensed someone coming, and your sensitivity to the force makes it no coincidence. However the crime scene is blocked off from anyone not being charged with investigating it."

He scratched his cheek, hesitating before turning back to speak to the stranger.

"But now that you're here, maybe you can tell me something I don't know. The two jedi here had all of their bones broken, and I saw what looked like one or more concussion blast marks. But there are no open wounds to suggest they were completely in range of the blast itself. So I am wondering what was used to cause the blunt trauma. Being stunned and thrown around does not cause bone damage to this degree. "

The youth of today, no respect for their elders, the former Jedi complained silently as he nodded and gave a quiet thanks to the small group when they settled back into a coversation about myths and legends of the local area and what they had heard going on. But he was not interested in poppycock fairy tales of yore, no he was more interested in what had happened now and the youth at the table had provided him with some interesting information.

Quietly the blind Jedi walked away from the table, using his trail staff as a guide through the sea of tables and people and apologizing once when he "accidently" bumped into a Dovorian eating a meal. The alien was not too pleased but seeing the "condition" the human was in, it merely waved the apology by and grunted in displeasure before going back to its food. Apparently it was more interested in sating its own hunger than starting a fight with a blind old man.

Not that it would have won the fight or anything.

Once outside of the Inn he flagged down a hovertaxi and gave the driver instructions as to where he wanted to go. "Roland's Bluff, please." He handed the driver a decent size credit chit that would have the man take him out to the cave without question.

First thing first he would check out the cave the incident had occurred in and then he would seek out the bounty hunter's partner and the Twi'lek before resorting to listening to more fanciful tales from the locals at Gleeks Cantina. He was not sure what he would find at the cave and only hoped that the Force could guide him to something important that the locals missed in their investigations.

At the man's refusal, Seth placed the pack back into his jacket pocket along with the lighter. The tip of the cigarra in his mouth burning like an ember, Seth stood silently as the Jedi spoke. It was when he asked about who Seth was that he spoke, "Just a concerned citizen that happens to be sensitive to the Force and noticed an extra murder or two on this lovely planet. You can just call me Seth."

The Jedi went on, describing things about the murder while Seth puffed away, not at all concerned as to whether the other man could handle the smoke that Seth didn't even try to avoid from reaching the Jedi's face. It was only when he finished that Seth once again spoke.

"I can tell you what it's not," he replied. "And that is that it's probably not what you came all the way here looking for. The mysterious darkness that's hopping around the known galaxy? I'm sure you and whatever new council you have now have noticed it and thought to find here. I've come here looking for it."

Taking another puff from his cig, Seth went over in his mind what the Jedi already said. Just the evidence of concussion blasts helped prove his theory that whatever had murdered the Jedi was not the one that he had been chasing and brought him here. So...who was responsible with this.

"There had been multiple people involved with this murder," Seth continued, now sharing what he knew. However little that was anyway. "And despite what you may've seen in there, that was tame compared to what we're looking for." He shrugged. "I'm going to assume that the Empire is involved here. Sith, Imperial Jedi Hunter teams, or even mercenaries if they're sinking that low."

Typically the people who wanted jedi dead..."Well, I felt it as well...Then I ran in to this particular place once I got the message about these murders. Maybe I was looking too hard in to this one in hopes of making a connection with my primary search. I would think the Imperial hunting teams. Mercenaries are too messy compared to them, and sith are much more quicker and cleaner than this scene suggests. A hate crime that does smell of imperial hunting teams.

"But then you might have known all of this too. My primary has me being yanked around from the mid to core worlds going after this thing Seth"....Why was that name familiar? ...Gah. I've been away too long from the temple.

"What have you seen on your search?"

The jedi straightened....Well, if he does not have anything, I suppose it would not definitely hurt to search out this bizarre darkness together.

TAG-OOC: Ktala....And Sarge if you want to lengthen the conversation. Ktala gave me something about concussion blast marks. I need to recharge my brain before thinking of something else.

The youth became absolutely still as The First entered the room. Ariat had no idea what to expect. He attempted to shove all thought out of his brain and focus on what The First was saying. The problem was Ariat didn't understand any of it. He did not recognize the Sith in the holo, but he knew that if an older Sith looked on with fear that this Darkness wasn't going to be something taken lightly. Ariat wondered briefly if his master had sent him to his death. Why was his Master not here? As Ariat struggled with this question The First continued speaking with direction on what to do next.

Relief coursed off him with the mention of providing maps, information, and an available ship. Having grown up with nothing and stealing to survive Ariat never even dreamed of flying on a ship and here he was about to embark on a mission assigned by an obviously powerful Sith Lord. Ariat continued to shield himself as much as possible to hopefully contain the fear he felt. He was just an apprentice. He hardly had any training. Why in the galaxy was he here?

Constant questions surfaced in his mind as he watched another human male with pale skin decide to take the turbolift and head in that direction. A few others soon followed suit. Ariat remained frozen in place, however. He didn't belong here. The problem was he didn't have a choice. The others were choosing this destiny. Ariat had no way to leave except on that ship being provided for them.

When faced with the choice of heading back out into the rain or going after the darkness the young Sith apprentice made a choice that would impact the rest of his life. He headed toward the turbolift.